Zommunist Invasion by Picott, Camille (ebook reader ink TXT) 📗

the pastureland if we don’t figure out how to deal with the Soviets. We’ll be sitting ducks.”

His words made Amanda want to curl in a ball and hide in a hole.

“We have to do something,” Lena said. “Think we could hunt down one ATV, kill the soldiers, and take their ATV?”

“I thought about that.” Dal shook his head. “But the others would be able to follow the sound of our engine. We could inadvertently lead them straight to the cabin. We have to come up with something else.”

Amanda forced herself to think. Possibilities. She’d promised herself she was going to start seeing the world through the lens of possibility. She might not be as good at chess as Cassie, but she still had a sharp mind for strategy.

They had a few advantages. For one thing, Dal was a damn good shot. So was Lena. Snipers was an appropriate moniker for their group. They also had eyes on the Soviets, while the Soviets were still searching for them.

The Soviets had numbers on them. They also had the ATVs, which gave them speed and agility Amanda’s group didn’t have. Their advantage no doubt made them cocky as hell, which could also be used to their advantage.

A solution leaped into sharp focus in her mind.

“We have to eliminate the Russians before we get to the pastureland,” Amanda said. “We could set a trap and lure them to us with gunfire. As soon as they’re within range, you guys can sniper them from a distance. Once we—you guys, I mean—eliminate them, we can steal their ATVs and go home.”

“That might be doable,” Lena said. “If we find the right place to ambush them.”

“We need the high ground,” Dal said. “Somewhere they can’t reach us on their ATVs. This tree won’t work. There isn’t enough visibility. I saw a bluff southwest of here. It’s two miles out. If we can get there, it would give us the high ground.”

Two miles. Knowing they had to cross unfamiliar terrain infested with Soviets made two miles feel like two thousand. Still, what choice did they have?

Amanda grabbed handful of bay leaves and passed them to Dal and Lena.

“What are these for?” Dal crinkled his brow at her in amusement.

“Food,” Amanda replied. “The leaves are tough and they don’t taste good, but we need whatever nourishment we can get.”

“Good idea, Amanda. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.” Lena nodded in appreciation at the leaves in her hands. “Nonna would never let me live that down.”

“We won’t tell her.” Dal winked at Lena. Shoving a few leaves into his mouth, he led the way back to the ground.

24

Trap

They spent the next few hours creeping through the forest and dodging ATVs. The Russians were dogged in their pursuit.

It seemed to Amanda they spent more time hiding than moving. It was late morning by the time they reached the bluff Dal had seen from a distance. The three of them stood looking up at a steep hillside covered with oak trees. It rose fifty yards into the air and overlooked the forest behind them. Amanda estimated the grade to be thirty or forty percent.

To Amanda, it looked like they’d need a rope and grappling hook to climb the bluff. But Dal and Lena tackled the hillside with their bare hands, leaning forward to grab rocks and roots as they scrambled up.

Amanda firmly reminded herself she was an amazon. Following her friends, she grabbed onto a tree root and began to climb.

She was panting within minutes, but kept up with Dal and Lena. Her foot slipped once on loose leaves, but she caught herself on a rock.

In the distance came the constant hum of the ATVs. The higher they climbed, the louder they sounded. She decided it was officially the worst sound on the planet, even worse than the growl of zombies. At least zombies would just eat her and get it over with. Zombies wouldn’t drag her into a KGB dungeon and torture her.

“We need to spread out,” Dal huffed. “Shoot at them from different locations. It will make it harder for them to pinpoint where we are.”

Amanda eyed the distance between where they stood and the small clearing below them. “I’m not a great shot.” Even though she’d learned how to handle a gun, she was a long way from being able to sniper things the way Dal and Lena could.

“Maybe you should be stationed here, lower down on the bluff?” Lena suggested.

Dal shook his head. “I don’t want us to be too far from one another. If we have to make a run for it, we could get separated.”

Amanda didn’t like the idea of not being able to help. There were only three of them against eight Soviets. They were going to need every gun they had and a whole lot of luck to pull this off. Sticking her somewhere in a tree where she had no hope of making a decent shot was not the answer.

“I’ll stay here.” She tried to sound decisive, even though a tiny voice inside her head hoped they would try to talk her out of it. “We’re going to need every advantage to pull this off. I’m no help up there.”

“Are you sure?” Lena asked.

“Yeah.” Now that was an outright lie. Amanda wasn’t sure at all.

“Okay.” Dal’s eyes were pinched on the edges. “I don’t like us being scattered, but it’s the best play we have. Amanda, pick a tree that gives you a good vantage point over that open area below.”

“Okay.”

“When Lena and I are in position, I’ll fire into the air,” Dal said. “That will draw them to us. If we get separated for some reason, head southwest. That will get you home.”

Amanda didn’t bother telling him she had no idea which way was southwest. What was the point? Besides, they were going to pull this off. They were going to lure the Soviets, kill them all, and get their ATVs. There was no need for her